A SEARCH: A last minute decision, prompted by ex- IITians and the family (meaning my mother and myself) found my father travelling down memory lane at the First Annual Alumni Meet at Kgp on 3rd January, 2004, accompanied by his wife and daughter.Since accommodation would have been a problem for late-comers, ours was a one -day trip. However friends supplied detailed reports on the nocturnal bonhomie at the Halls by 4th morning.As the daughter of an ex- IITian, I have had to “make do” with hordes of IITians in my 24 years. So much so, the way a man walks, talks, dresses, the way he handles people and cash, his attitude towards women and children, tells me if he is an IITian or not. And nine out of ten times, I know I am in the right.Therefore, it was an intriguing experience to get the feel of the place where my father and his erstwhile classmates “became” IITians.Khoka’s Dokan, the common room at Patel Hall, the ground where my father was asked to be a “roller” in his 1st year, the auditorium where there was a stampede during a show of “Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi”, the room where Prof.Seth taught the rudiments of “Limits”- all were part of the itinerary of the “boys” of 1968, with slight variations.My father and my uncles have always been proud of their Alma Mater. What I , as a daughter, am thankful about is that their Alma Mater has not forsaken them at a point in their lives when they no longer are the firebrands they once were. I believe it is a heartening experience to re-gather as comrades( albeit a little worse from wear and tear) in an institution which had once welcomed them as uncompromising competitors.I say “I believe” for I cannot say “I know”.Having just completed my post-graduation in Comparative Literature from my Alma Mater, Jadavpur University in 2003( I shall be joining JU for my PhD in 2004) , I guess it’s a little early to say what it can mean to come back to the place of one’s youth after 35 years or more.In the meanwhile, I thank you for having given us all another beautiful memory associated with I.I.T.- Kgp.